My soul is nothing without Your light - event i august

Event og udstilling af Smart Urhiofe

If you cannot see my soul does it mean it does not exist? The idea of the soul, and the need to understand what it is, has always been a human preoccupation, especially that of the intelligentsia and philosophers such as Aristotle, John Locke and Thomas Aquinas whose collective aims were to give meaning to life, and existence. Today when we think, or talk of the soul, we tend to relate it to our essential being, separate from the scholastic or academic pursuits and comprehension of philosophers, however, quite closely similar.

If we consider several sayings and quotes such as “ Soul Searching”, or the easily available self help books that discuss connecting with our souls, it is evident that we continue to be concerned with the notions of the soul. This in a way is the basis of Smart Urhiofe’s show. It gives its own concept of the soul, one that is only visible or alive through our relationships with others. According to Smart, we come to truly appreciate ourselves or have a sense of our being through our connections/associations with others, who in turn represent a light that illuminates our being - our souls.

The show is divided in two parts, the first is programmed as a two day drawing session whereby visitors are given the opportunity to draw each other, in this case, each others souls (how they see or envision the souls of those sitting opposite to them) using invisible UV pens.

The second half being a 3 day exhibition of the drawings alongside a small selection of Smart Urhiofe’s UV ink drawings exploring the ways in which we see/perceive our environment and then place ourselves within these spaces.

Ultimately the exhibition is an investigation of how we can see ourselves through the eyes of others, challenging the ways in which we perceive and understand ourselves to be. The use of the UV light drawings offers dialogue around the subject of the soul, and questions if it exists within the visible or invisible realm, and if it exists at all!

This exhibition is one of its kind, it enables the public to be involved in the similar creating processes of the artist, providing them a purer connection to the work, and the ideas of Smart Urhiofe as an artist. Looking at his collection and his observations and sense of awareness of others and our environment his fascinations marks an interesting introduction to him as an artist.